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Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton says she's worked as an escort

By Elliott Almond ealmond@mercurynews.com

Posted:
12/20/2012 12:19:59 PM PST

Updated:
12/20/2012 09:14:03 PM PST

Suzy Favor Hamilton runs at her home in Shorewood Hills a suburb of Madison, Wis. on July 17, 2012. The three-time Olympian has admitted leading a double life as an escort. She apologized Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, after a report by The Smoking Gun website said she had been working as a prostitute in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Michael Sears)

Three-time U.S. Olympic runner Suzy Favor Hamilton has admitted to working as a Las Vegas escort for the past year in a "double life" that she said only her husband had known about until now, TheSmokingGun.com reported Thursday.

In a bizarre twist for one of America's most popular distance runners, Favor Hamilton, 44, acknowledged her role in a series of Twitter posts sent Thursday.

"I realize I have made highly irrational choices and I take full responsibility for them," she wrote. "I am not a victim here and knew what I was doing."

Favor Hamilton competed in the 1992, '96 and 2000 Olympics and won an NCAA-record nine individual titles at Wisconsin.

In one of her most frustrating moments she deliberately fell during the homestretch of 1,500 meters final in Sydney when she realized she couldn't win the gold medal.

She had dedicated the 2000 Olympic race to her brother, Dan Favor, who had committed suicide a year earlier after he had stopped taking medication for a mental disorder.

Favor Hamilton, who runs a real estate brokerage firm in Wisconsin with her husband, was once featured in a Nike television commercial, a swimsuit calendar and had more recently been involved in promotional work with Disney.

She said in an interview in the summer with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that she had suffered from postpartum depression after her daughter, now 6, was born. Favor Hamilton also talked about her eating disorders during her career.

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Her work as a call girl had allegedly taken her to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston.

According to the rates posted on the website of Haley Heston that allegedly handled her business, she charged $6,000 for a 24-hour period.

SmokingGun.com reported Favor Hamilton worked under the name "Kelly Lundy," but she said she often revealed her true identity.

"I was drawn to escorting in large part because it provided many coping mechanisms for me when I was going through a very challenging time with my marriage and my life," Favor Hamilton posted at @favorhamilton. "It provided an escape from a life that I was struggling in. It was a double life.

"I do not expect people to understand, but the reasons for doing this made sense to me at the time and were very much related to depression. As crazy as I know it seems, I never thought I would be exposed, therefore never hurting anybody.

"I have been seeking the help of a psychologist for the past few weeks and will continue to do so after I have put things together. I cannot emphasize enough how sorry I am to anyone I have hurt as a result of my actions and greatly appreciate the support from family and those closest to me. I fully intend to make amends and get back to being a good mother, wife, daughter, and friend."